Installation And Setup

The DX2 is so easy set up that my grandmother could probably pull it off (Figure 3). After cracking the seal on the box, the setup and installation only take a few minutes before you're able to perform a DVD backup. After the driver is installed, the DX2 checks for any updates and automatically downloads and installs a newer driver if you require it. After a very simple four-step software installation (three steps if you don't want to use the slideshow software that ADS Tech added as a bonus) you have all that you need to begin capturing and editing video.

Figure 3: DVD Xpress DX2 installation utility

The Capture Wizard, which is the program that manages the initial video capturing process, has an additional four-step configuration wizard that allows you to change your preferred file type, recording location and connection types. The Capture Wizard configuration tool runs each time you run the Capture Wizard so that you can make any necessary changes to inputs and file types before you begin the capture process.

In the setup, ADS tech gives you guidelines for the approximate file sizes of each output format (Figure 4). The quality settings look like they are fairly high considering the large file sizes of some of the higher compression formats. The DX2 uses variable bit rates in the compression of videos through the capture wizard. Note that the bit rates are locked and can't be changed, so don't count on tweaking them to adjust the video quality and file size.

The DX2 can capture and encode video in several different ways. The captured video can be burned directly to a DVDR or it can be stored in several different formats.